The Book of Heroes by Miyuki Miyabe

Author:Miyuki Miyabe [Miyabe, Miyuki]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf, mobi
Tags: story
ISBN: 9781421542881
Publisher: Haikasoru/VIZ Media
Published: 2011-12-14T14:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHT

The Man of Ash

U-ri braced herself. The glyph on her forehead shone like a star, illuminating the darkness in front of her. At once, the wall lost its solid appearance and recoiled like a living thing.

This did much for U-ri’s courage. She steadied her feet, took a deep breath, and shouted at the thing. “What do you want of me?”

The darkness surged forward, filling the entire space of the corridor. U-ri strained her eyes until she saw something moving inside the darkness. It was undulating, throbbing. It heaved and shrank, as though its entire mass were drawing breath.

U-ri raised her voice again. “What are you? If you have a name, I would hear it!”

When the thing responded, she heard its voice not with her ears but with another organ—it seemed to speak directly to her heart.

I am an envoy of the King in Yellow.

Michiru grabbed U-ri’s sleeve from behind. I wonder if she heard it too? Atop U-ri’s shoulder, Aju’s whiskers trembled, tickling her cheek. Sky still stood behind her, arms spread wide.

You are the allcaste?

U-ri glared back at the darkness.

Don’t make me laugh, the voice continued. Why must it always be children who know not even the true value of the mark upon their heads who seek to bring balance to the Circle?

The darkness was quivering. It’s laughing at me. It began to undulate faster now. Something circular was spinning in the very center of its mass. Like a giant beach ball—no, larger than that. U-ri’s eyes were glued to the thing.

“Lady U-ri,” Sky said, “do not let it draw you in.”

U-ri took a quick breath and vigorously shook her head. She peered sidelong at Sky to protect herself. The writhing darkness was not reflected in his deep purple eyes.

“If you are an envoy, you have come on some errand,” Sky called out. “You are indeed before the allcaste, creature of the King in Yellow. Why have you come? Why has your king sent you?”

The spinning in the center of the darkness stopped.

“Or has the king tired of its freedom already and wishes to return to the Hall of All Books?”

Then the thing roared at them with a sound like the rumbling of thunder, and the circular shape in its center opened. It’s an eye! It was a giant eyeball. Where it should have been white, it glowed a dull gold, and the pupil was narrow and pointed like a cat’s. It glared at Sky.

You are nothing but a crude figure, shaped of the dust of this Circle, yet you dare call upon my master?

A huge vibration issued forth from the giant eyeball. The very air shook. A wave of force hit the party, and U-ri staggered. Behind her, Michiru was thrown back through the air. She collided with the library door and crumpled to the floor.

Then the darkness disappeared—swallowed by the golden eyeball that now hung suspended in the air. In the space of a breath, the eyeball receded to the back of the corridor, from where it released another wave of energy.

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